American Fairy Tales

While the fairy tale tradition is innately European (think Hans Christian Anderson or the Brothers Grimm), there’s a small corner of the canon reserved for writers like L. Frank Baum and Carl Sandburg, Americans who wrote fairy tales with distinctly American themes. Instead of knights, dragons, and castles, their stories are populated with cowboys, corn fairies, and farm houses. They speak more directly to the experience of American children, but nevertheless, these American fairy tales, like their European counterparts, have stuck around as moral guideposts for us even now. White Horse Girl and the Blue Wind Boy (1:51) This story, performed by Carol Birch, comes from a collection of Sandburg stories called "Sandburg Out Loud" featuring tellers adapting different Carl Sandburg tales for audiences. This story was originally included in Sandburg's "Rootabaga Stories," a collection of fairy tales that embrace Midwestern culture and slang originally written for his daughters. Learn more about the Parents' Choice album by visiting www.parents-choice.org Learn more about Carol Birch by visiting www.carolbirchstoryteller.com Barney McCabe (12:12) www.davidholt.comOne of the oldest fairy tale premises includes two children who come across a witch in the woods. In this story, instead of bread crumbs, the children have magic corn. Learn more about David Holt by visiting www.davidholt.com The Brave Woman and the Flying Head (21:40) In this Iroquois tale, a woman shows great courage in protecting her son from menacing forces in the forest. To learn more about Joseph Bruchac, visit josephbruchac.com The Story of Blixie Bimber and the Power of the Gold Buckskin Whincher (28:37) Another Carl Sandburg story from the "Rootabaga Tales," told by Carol Birch. The Evil Prince and the Sleeping Beauty (36:23) Sleeping Beauty might not have an American origin, however, Judith Black's adaptation of Sleeping Beauty is full of American nostalgic motifs. Learn more about Judith's work by visiting storiesalive.com Never Kick a Slipper at the Moon (53:01) One last story from the fictional Rootabaga Country, performed by Angela Lloyd. This track is included on the earlier mentioned album, "Sandburg Out Loud", on which Lloyd is also a featured teller. Learn more about Angela by visiting www.angelalloyd.com